BBC says The Traitors met Scottish staffing rules

The number of Scotland-based staff working on reality TV show The Traitors increased between the first and second series, the BBC has said.

Filmed near Alness in the Highlands, the final of the third series was broadcast last month and drew more than seven million viewers.

But there have been doubts raised over The Traitors' status as a Scottish production.

Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee wrote to the BBC seeking clarity and in its response the BBC said the production met the rules of its regulator, Ofcom.

The Traitors, which is hosted by Claudia Winkleman, pits a handful of contestants called traitors against faithfuls to win a potential cash prize of £120,000.

It is filmed in Ardross Castle, a 19th Century property about 30 miles north of Inverness.

A US version of the show is also made at the castle.

The Scottish Affairs Committee chairwoman, Glasgow West Labour MP Patricia Ferguson, wrote to the BBC asking for clarity on the corporation's commitment to regional production in Scotland, and in particular The Traitors.

Her letter followed an appearance by BBC Scotland's new director Hayley Valentine before a Scottish Parliament committee last month.

Under Ofcom rules, The Traitors is classified as a Scottish production because its production company Studio Lambert has a "substantive base" there.

The letter said series one had been allocated to Scotland on this basis, not on "spend or staffing in Scotland".

Ms Ferguson asked for the latest available data on the proportion of show's production budget spent specifically in Scotland, and the proportion of staff working on the production who are Scotland-based across the three series so far.

In her reply, Ms Valentine said: "Although the data is not yet available to compare all three series, we can confirm that the number of Scotland-based production staff has increased between series one and series two, with the BBC, Studio Lambert Scotland and Screen Scotland working together on training and development relating to specialist reality television production at this scale."

She added that a session held at the BBC's Glasgow base last year resulted in 19 of the 30 attendees being offered a job on the show.

But Ms Ferguson said questions remained.

She said: "I'm delighted that one of the most popular shows in the UK is shot in the Scottish Highlands.

"However, it's key that the BBC makes sure that local creative industry and the economy can benefit from this production.

"BBC Scotland's reply doesn't offer specific numbers about the amount of money it's spending on The Traitors in Scotland, or the proportion of Scotland-based production staff.

"However, I'm pleased to hear that the number of Scotland-based crew has increased between series one and two."

Criticism was levelled at the BBC last month after an analysis by producer and director Peter Strachan.

But Studio Lambert boss Stephen Lambert told BBC News a different type of "specialised skills" were needed for reality TV and the reason for the show's success was down to employing "the most experienced reality show production talent in the UK".

He said he was confident the numbers would rise in the coming years.